What is the Youth on Wheels Program?

Youth on Wheels is a Council owned and operated learner driver mentor program assisting youth aged 16-25 in both the District Council of Grant and City of Mount Gambier to obtain a P1 licence.

How the program operates

The Youth on Wheels Program matches young people with a volunteer mentor supervising driver to assist in meeting the mandated 75 hours of supervised driving required to get a provisional licence.

Youth on Wheels provides an opportunity for young people who otherwise lack the support to achieve the required driving hours.

The program is not a driving school and the mentor supervising drivers are not driving instructors. The aim of the program is to get young people two hours of driving experience per week to increase their confidence and help them become safe drivers.

For further information check out the information sheet HERE.

Eligibility for the program

Participants need to meet the following criteria to join the program:

• Young people aged 16-25;
• Hold a valid learners permit;
• Have no other means of accessing a supervising driver;
• Have completed a sufficient number of professional driving lessons (min 3 lessons); and
• Are declared competent at safely operating a motor vehicle under supervision by a professional driving instructor.

Application process for eligible participants

To join the Youth on Wheels Program, eligible participants (or their parent/guardian or referrer) must complete an application form and return to Council via email at info@dcgrant.sa.gov.au or in person at:

• Principal Office: 324 Commercial Street West, Mount Gambier
• Port MacDonnell Community Complex: 5-7 Charles Street, Port MacDonnell

All applicants, successful or otherwise, will be contacted after submission of an application form. Applicants meeting the selection criteria will be asked to attend a meeting with Council staff at the Principal Council Office to progress the application. This is an opportunity for staff to understand which volunteer mentor driver may be a good match and to answer any questions from the applicant.

Should the meeting be successful, Council staff will coordinate a commencement date and time with both the new participant and appropriate volunteer mentor driver.

For more information about this process or to discuss an application, please call the District Council of Grant on (08) 8721 0444.

Volunteer mentor drivers

The Youth on Wheel program also provides an opportunity to directly help a young member of the community by helping them obtain their provisional drivers licence as a mentor driver. The commitment required for mentors in the program is 2x 1 hour blocks of driving on a weekday per week. Council provides a vehicle for all driving sessions which has been fitted with dual breaks for safety.

Legal requirements of a supervising driver:

• Must be 25 years and over;
• Must have held a full (non-probationary) car licence for the past 2 years;
• Must not be subject to any good behaviour conditions; and
• Cannot have a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.05 or above (0.00 required for Youth On Wheels, and breath testing is completed prior to each driving session).

Screening for Youth On Wheels Volunteers:

• Complete an expression of interest form;
• Attend an interview;
• National Police Clearance;
• Department for Communities and Social Inclusion Clearance (Working with Children's Check); and
• Achieve competency in an on-road driving assessment.

There is a full Youth On Wheels Volunteer Training program which includes an “inclass” road rules refresher, child safe environments, and an introduction to the District Council of Grant and Youth On Wheels specifics. This will ensure that you are prepared and understand your role as a mentor.

For more information check out the information sheet HERE and the expression of interest form can be downloaded HERE.

Please contact Council if you would like any further information or to discuss your application on (08) 8721 0444 or info@dcgrant.sa.gov.au.

Program Sponsors

Council would like to thank our generous sponsors who provide the resources to be able to run the Youth on Wheels Program.